DustPhotonics, MaxLinear pair for silicon photonics/DSP integration
DustPhotonics, which has switched its focus from transceiver development to silicon photonics chips, and MaxLinear have demonstrated the former’s Carmel Silicon Photonics chip with integrated lasers directly driven from the MaxLinear Keystone DSP without the need for an external driver chip. The combination is applicable to 400G and 800G pluggable optics as well as on-board optics, the companies say, and enables 400G transceivers at less than 7 W.
The DustPhotonics Carmel chip integrates a DFB laser and leverages the company’s Low Loss Laser Coupling (L3C) to improve the efficiency of coupling the DFB light into the photonic integrated circuit (PIC). The DustPhotonic approach enables the use of a single laser for four channels.
Meanwhile, the MaxLinear Keystone device is part of a family of 5-nm DSPs that support 400G and 800G operation and feature integrated drivers and low power. MaxLinear aims the Keystone DSP at transceiver, co-packaged optics, and on-board optics designs.
“The combination of our Keystone 5-nm integrated driver DSPs with DustPhotonics’ silicon photonics demonstrates the significant power and performance advantages achievable with our integrated drivers,” said Drew Guckenberger, vice president of optical interconnect at MaxLinear. “With double-digit year-on-year growth in market demand for 400-Gbps and 800-Gbps transceivers, this integrated solution can create tremendous value for our customers. We look forward to seeing full transceiver deployments in the near future.”
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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